Resource consumption is essential to our existence. Global population and economic growth are increasing the pressure on natural resources such as raw materials, land and biodiversity. The German Environment Agency pursues the key aim to reduce resource consumption and the associated environmental impact overall and along the entire value-adding chain. The avoidance of waste and the use of residual and waste materials as secondary raw materials and the energy recovery of waste can also make a meaningful contribution to resource conservation, as can resource-efficient production processes, products and utilisation concepts.
The “Recommendation on sewage sludge handling” as part of the Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area entered into force in March 2017. It defines the principles for the sustainable handling of sewage sludge in the Baltic Sea region.
Plastic waste is a major threat to the marine environment. But how to tackle this problem? The EU Plastics Strategy that is being discussed in the upcoming months can help reduce the input of plastics to the environment if it follows seven recommendations of the European environment agencies.
International conference discusses concept of planetary boundaries
The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and the Germany Environment Agency (UBA) are campaigning for systematic environmental protection in deep sea mining. At an expert workshop event in Berlin, the two authorities made an appeal for a comprehensive assessment of both the chances and risks of future deep sea mining.
Food production consumes many resources and produces greenhouse gas emissions. For the sake of the environment food waste should be prevented. A guideline by the German Environment Agency shows how it can work in the catering sector.
The German Environment Agency (UBA) is appealing to the grocery trade to include deposit bottle alternatives in their beverage range in addition to non-returnables.
More than 16 tonnes of metal, cement, wood and other raw materials per person are consumed in Germany every year – that’s 44 kilos per day. This places Germany at a high level compared with other countries around the globe and other EU states. These are the conclusions drawn in the resources report published by the German Environment Agency (UBA).
People with higher incomes usually consume more energy and resources – regardless of whether they perceive themselves to be environmentally aware or not. These are the findings of a new study by UBA.
Whether it is greenery from the home garden or fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen, some waste is just too valuable to become residual waste. The compost heap at home can turn kitchen and garden waste into valuable humus. The German Environment Agency (UBA) has updated its manual on composting with hints and advice on how to make good compost.
The Federal Government and the Länder want to strengthen their joint measures to combat marine litter and are coordinating their future action at a round table.
Wanted: real progress in recycling efforts, boosting environmental protection and increasing security of supply – from all players
Extracting more and more new raw materials is unsustainable. The future ideal is a closed-loop, circular economy which, through “urban mining”, obtains many of its raw materials from end-of-life houses, piping, cables, cars and appliances rather than from mines and quarries. An UBA study has determined the types and quantities of potential secondary raw materials available in Germany.
